Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.56
April 19, 2022
Consolidation is continuing among supply chain automation providers, with MHS Global announcing yesterday that it is merging with Fortna Inc. to form a multi-billion-dollar multinational providing parcel, warehousing and distribution, and lifecycle services. The companies said the combination of MHS's automation and Fortna's operational optimization software will serve the end-to-end needs of logistics operations. “MHS has built its reputation over the past 20-plus years by being a reliable and committed partner while expanding our capabilities and taking a progressive, tech-forward stance to deliver new products and solutions,” stated Scott McReynolds, CEO of MHS. “Combining with Fortna will allow us to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 30.03
April 18, 2022
…dynamism of this market might impact the implementation of micro-fulfillment centers, or MFCs. Those are defined as those systems put in 5,000 to 10,000 square feet in the back of a grocery store or big box retailer; or facilities ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 square feet located in empty store fronts or purpose-built facilities near urban areas? Two other data points provide a part of the answer: The same WSJ article noted that Walmart has plans to build around 100 small, automated fulfillment centers attached to existing stores in the next few years to make room in the aisles for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.89
April 18, 2022
The demand for picking robots has reached an inflection point. “I’ve never seen so much interest, if not desperation, to improve fulfillment,” said James Lawton, vice president and general manager of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies. And that’s true for companies as diverse as FedEx and iHerb. They and many others have recently turned to piece-picking automation to solve their fulfillment challenges. But we're still in the early stages of robotic piece picking. After all, it was only January 2015 when Modern Materials Handling (a sibling of Robotics 24/7) reported on early picking pilots in “The robots are coming –…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.93
April 11, 2022
Comau LLC last week said that it has added the N-220-2.7 robot arm to its product portfolio. The Stellantis NV unit makes the robot with its fully automated production line in its Turin Innovation Center of Advanced Robotics in Italy. “This next-generation robot, which strengthens our product portfolio, generates clear customer advantages thanks to its innovative design and state-of-the-art advanced robotics technology,” stated Nicole Clement, chief marketing officer of Comau. “[It thus allows] us to better target new, high-growth industry segments beyond traditional manufacturing, with the aim of enhancing cost-effective automation for businesses of all sizes.” Comau provides industrial automation…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 36.33
April 11, 2022
…October 2021. “We're seeing demand for goods-to-person automation for micro-fulfillment,” Randy Randolph, vice president of channels and partnerships at Geek+, told Robotics 24/7. At the SITL awards ceremony, speakers said that the AMR has enabled storage density to literally reach new heights. This could help micro-fulfillment centers and provide an alternative to the more extensive infrastructure of automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), Geek+ said. “Geek+ continues to invest in innovation to stay ahead of the logistics challenges of tomorrow and develop cutting-edge solutions for customers today,” said the company. Geek+ takes robots on the road In recent months, Geek+…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.74
April 05, 2022
Developers are taking more steps toward “lights-out” warehouses that operate autonomously 24/7. Konoike Transport Co. and OSARO Inc. today said they collaborating on a new project at the Konoike Institute of Technology Innovation Center, or KITIC. They said it will showcase Japan’s first prototype of warehouse operations where mobile robots will work with picking robots optimized for e-commerce applications that involve large SKU inventories. “We are honored to be the first in Japan to conduct a demonstration prototype of an OSARO picking solution with an AMR [autonomous mobile robot],” stated Tadatsugu Konoike, director and senior managing executive officer at Konoike…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 21.22
April 04, 2022
…at MODEX 2022 At MODEX 2022 in Atlanta last week, Geek+ demonstrated its PopPick goods-to-person system, its RoboShuttle for micro-fulfillment centers, and its S20C-A conveyor and sortation robot. “The S20C-A conveyor top and adjustable sorting were big asks from customers,” said Randy Randolph, vice president of channels and partnerships at Geek+. “This is the U.S. product debut, and the RoboShuttle+40 can sort to different heights.” “Our four-way shuttle robot for pallets combines ground picking with multi-level picking,” he told Robotics 24/7. “It's an evolution of PopPick, whose robotic arms retrieve totes, that has the density of an ASRS [automated storage…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.43
April 04, 2022
OK, I was a skeptic. Boy, was I wrong! I arrived in Atlanta last week with memories of MODEX 2020 dancing in my head. As anyone who was there remembers, attendance was sparse on the busiest of days. Having attended one event this past January with light traffic, and reading accounts of other events that have struggled to get people in the door, I didn’t know what to expect. Well, MODEX 2022 was perhaps the best trade event I’ve attended in many years. The mood was exuberant, the crowds were there from Monday afternoon through the end of the day…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 24.69
April 01, 2022
…modernize fulfillment to meet the immediacy demands of modern commerce. Samay Kohli, co-foundera and CEO of GreyOrange, spoke about micro-fulfillment at MODEX 2022 in Atlanta this week.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.49
March 31, 2022
ATLANTA—Among the themes emerging from MODEX 2022 here this week is the need for supply chain operators to orchestrate both people and robots. Conveyco Technologies Inc. said its RightFIT analytics and Go-Fer Bot can make order fulfillment more agile. “With RightFIT's seven-step methodology, we can look at labor and order-picking processes,” said Ed Romaine, vice president of marketing and business development at Conveyco. “In one LaborRxFIT use case, a customer was able to reduce labor by 80% for decanting and case cutting.” “In fact, that's a dangerous task. With three robots, the customer was able to improve consistency and put…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.73
March 30, 2022
RightHand Robotics Inc. yesterday announced at MODEX 2022 that it has partnered with Vanderlande to deploy piece-picking robots to meet the demands of general merchandise warehouses and distribution centers on a global scale. Vanderlande has added RightHand's RightPick item-handling system to its Smart Item Robotics, or SIR, portfolio of technologies. “The market wants integrated robotics that work, so we’ve tested the world’s leading robot solutions,” stated Terry Verkuijlen, vice president of warehouse solutions at Vanderlande. “Our findings showed that RightHand Robotics’ use of gripper technology, vision systems, and software algorithms is the best fit for automated general merchandise warehouses.” Established…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.94
March 29, 2022
GXO Logistics Inc., which claims to be “the world's largest pure-play contract logistics provider,” has picked Locus Robotics Corp. as the primary supplier of mobile robots to support high-volume order fulfillment for a large sports-fashion retailer in the U.K. and the Netherlands. “This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to deploy innovative logistics solutions that use advanced technology to address increasingly complex fulfillment challenges,” said Gavin Williams, managing director of GXO for the U.K. and Ireland. “Customization, flexibility, and scalability are the hallmarks of our solutions, and the Locus AMRs [autonomous mobile robots] support our ability to make warehouse space even…
